The monsters' ball

The monsters' ball

Last night
Martin Margiela, the most elusive figure in fashion (since he started out in 1988, the designer has never agreed to a single interview or been photographed for any magazine) celebrated the 20th anniversary of his label, Maison Martin Margiela.

The show was in typical surreal style: models' faces were covered either by thick bank-robber stockings (sometimes with a streak of bright lippy), or by long, Cousin Itt wigs.

This circus of the ridiculous bore no aspirations towards anything actually wearable. Think unitards constructed out of plastic bags, a white box caging a model's shoulders and circular leather jackets. For the finale, a three-tiered wedding cake strode down the catwalk, under which protruded the legs of four models.

The performance notes explained, unsurprisingly: 'This fashion show has almost more to do with a performance than a display of garments and outfits.'

Tuesday 30 September 2008 09.01 EDT
First published on Tuesday 30 September 2008 09.01 EDT